Proposed

“Alpine to Arid”

Hydrologic & Ecological Observatory

Uncompahgre River Watershed - San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Center for Snow and Avalanche StudiesSilverton, Colorado

Chris Landry

www.snowstudies.org

2001

2005

2006

Conducting Long-Term Mountain System Monitoring

Bales et al. (2006) priorities for improving hydrologic understanding:

“ … to better understand the processes controlling the partitioning of energy and

water fluxes within and out from these systems …”

“ … to better understand feedbacks between hydrologic fluxes and biogeochemical

and ecological processes …”

GLOCHAMORE Research Strategy (2005): Socio-economic questions are

integrated with physical process questions.

CIRMOUNT, in Mapping New Terrain (2006): water supply, forest dieback, urban-

wildland issues, wildfire, and biodiversity and wildlife.

NEON (2010): expand measurements of environmental variability and gather ecological data along elevation, precipitation, and land-use gradients.

Mountain Observatory Research and Monitoring Themes:

DOI-USGS Circular 1331 - 2009

Sec. 2: …monitoring needs to focus on locations that describe the climate signal …

Senator Beck Basin

& Uncompahgre

Watershed

Sentry Site for

Climate Change

Alpine to Arid Observatory

Upper Uncompahgre River

Watershed to Ridgway Reservoir

Elevations 14,150’ to ~6,850’ (pool)

264 sq. mi. drainage area

Peak 13,510’

7,600’

6,878’

11,030’

Existing

Infrastructure

98,000 acre feet annual inflow

at Ridgway Reservoir

149 sq mi

79 sq mi

1 sq mi

xx sq mi

264 sq mi

Drainage

Area

290 ha

SBSP SASP

SBSG

Operated by

CSAS under

USFS Special

Use Permit with

Uncompahgre

National Forest

PTSP

Swamp Angel Study Plot

11,050’ – 3,368 m

SASP Instrumentation6 m Mast

Campbell CR10X Dataloggers (2),

Multiplexer (1)

Campbell Precipitation Gauge

Wind Speed & Direction (2)

Air Temp and RH (2)

Barometric Pressure

Height of Snow

Broadband SW (2 up, 1 down, shadow

array)

NIR SW (1 up, 1 down)

Pyrgeometer (1 up)

Infrared Snow Surface Temp

Snow Temperature (5)

Soil Temperature (4)

Soil Volumetric Water Content

Soil Heat Flux

Water Year Cumulative Precipitation at End of Month

Swamp Angel Study Plot - Senator Beck Basin Study Area at Red Mountain Pass

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Octob

er

Nov

embe

r

Dec

embe

r

Janu

ary

Febr

uary

Mar

chApr

il

May

June

July

Aug

ust

Sep

tem

ber

Pre

cip

(m

m)

WY 2005

WY 2006

WY 2007

WY 2008

WY 2009

WY 2010

WY 2011

1,397 mm (55”)

Senator Beck Study Plot

12,200’ – 3,719m

SBSP Instrumentation

10 m Mast

Campbell CR10X Dataloggers (2),

Multiplexer (1)

Wind Speed & Direction (2)

Air Temp and RH (2)

Height of Snow

Broadband SW (2 up, 1 down, shadow

array)

NIR SW (1 up, 1 down)

Pyrgeometer (1 up)

Infrared Snow Surface Temp

Snow Temperature (5)

Snow Wetness Sensor

Soil Temperature (4)

Soil Volumetric Water Content

Soil Heat Flux

Pk 13,510’

Putney Study Plot

12,325’

PTSP Instrumentation

10 m Mast

Campbell CR10X Datalogger

Wind Speed & Direction

Air Temp and RH

Putney Study Plot

12,325’ – 3,757 m

Pk 13,510’

SBSP

Total Miles of Wind at PTSP by Season

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

0405 0506 0607 0708 0809 0910 1011

MO

W

May

April

March

February

January

December

November

October 8-31

100,811 miles

Senator Beck Stream

Gauge

11,030’ – 3,362 m

SBSG

Broad-crested, notched weir

0.1 – 30 cfs capacity

Campbell CR10x Datalogger

Stage – Druck transducer

Stage – staff gauge

Water Temp and Conductivity

Senator Beck Basin Hourly Discharge - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

22.0

24.0

26.0

28.06

3

68

74

79

85

90

96

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2

10

7

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8

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9

Day of Year

Cu

bic

Fe

et

pe

r S

ec

on

d

2008 2009 2010 2011

Senator Beck Basin Cumulative Discharge - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,

2011

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250 260 270

Day of Year

Ac

re F

ee

t

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Working Mean

Screen shot of Data page

Upper Uncompahgre

River Watershed

Infrastructure

~ 98,000 acre feet average yield at

Ridgway Reservoir

149 sq mi

79 sq mi

1 sq mi

xx sq mi

264 sq mi

Total Area

Ouray #09146020

Elev. 7,600’

May 22, 2011

Near Ridgway #09146200

Elev. 6,878’ May 22, 2011

Ecotone Above Ouray

Ridgway State Park

CSAS motives for Alpine to Arid Program

Integrative science opportunity

Agency utilization of Senator Beck Basin

CSAS supports stakeholder-driven applied research

Alpine to Arid - Next Steps

1. Firming of agency engagement, science goals, budgets

2. Formalizing Alpine to Arid program structure, CSAS role, CSAS O&M support

3. Infrastructure development & operations plan (what instruments, for what purpose, operated by whom)

4. Securing additional monitoring infrastructure sites, as required

5. New monitoring site development

6. Engagement with academic partners

clandry@snowstudies.org